Sparring - Are you getting the real deal?

Too often martial artists spend the vast majority of their time working on kata or weapons-based kata. Parents, especially at McDojos, view their child’s success and skill based on how many trophies little Johnnie can win while doing everything in the air. Even worse, martial art studio owners can boast of how many “world champions” he has produced in point-sparring, a type of fighting which is highly conducive for kids of all ages. Why? Because it is very possible that little Johnnie could outpoint an adult 5-3, but wouldn’t be able to defend himself against the same opponent for more than 30 seconds if there were no stops.

I know what your thinking. I must be one of the guys who have not had much success in kata or point-sparring in tournaments. Not true. I too have “played the game” with a considerable amount of success, but this whole sport karate thing is really starting to get carried away. Kids as young as age 7 or 8 are obtaining their black belts. By the time these students are 16, some of them are as high as 4th degree black belt!

In a real street encounter, there are no stops every time a punch or kick makes contact. There are no warnings or disqualifications if someone kicks below the waist, or for punches too hard to the body or the head. There are no “time-outs” so that your instructor can give you a few pointers of how to land a quick reverse punch or lead leg side kick for the final point. No, I am not recommending that full-contact sparring is a necessity for everyone, but I do advocate continuous fighting with a certain degree of heavy contact.

Kenpo Karate (and many other arts for that matter) is known for its practical and lethal street self-defense techniques. But there is a big difference from being able to move fast, and hit with considerable accuracy when the attack is choreographed and your uki moves exactly as planned. It is a whole different ball game trying to make it all work in continuous sparring when nothing is choreographed and the guy staring back at you is trying to take your head off.
We need to spar, and we need to spar often. We need to make our fights more “real” so that we are better prepared for an actual street encounter. Through continuous fighting, we build up endurance, learn to put our combinations together more effectively, and truly learn what it is like to have to take a few hits and then come back. If the vast majority of our sparring sessions are point-fighting, we aren’t getting the real deal.

Martial arts is about many things, but the last I checked, self-defense is one of its top priorities. Is it not?

Beware of Studios that Promote Young Kids to Black Belt

If someone wants to obtain a PhD or MD, it is going to take many years of hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance. Sure, someone can now get illegitimate degrees online by “life experience” if he/she is willing to fork out a large sum of money, but it won’t do them much good when applying for a higher-scale job position. With Internet accessibility, one can easily check the legitimacy of any so-called “university” or “college” that are handing out degrees like candy.

So, if something as prestigious as a PhD or MD is so difficult to obtain, why should achieving a black belt be any different? Short answer – it shouldn’t!! Unfortunately, there are so many McDojos out there today that are giving the martial arts a bad name. So I caution you to beware of any martial arts school that awards black belts to little kids!! Please take the time to go in and observe a few classes. If you find a class full of black belts, say, under the age of 12, RUN FOR THE DOOR! The schools will promote your kids through the colored belt ranks so fast, and gladly take your money while doing it!! The ironic part about all of this is that I hear parents all of the time bragging about how their child is a black belt!! I even had one man tell me how proud he was of his son who obtained a black belt at the ripe old age of 7!!!! Can a 7-year old really defend oneself against any adult? Of course not. Does a 7-year old have the maturity and experience to wear such an honored rank? Of course not.

Look – trust me. Find a school with high standards, and that take many years to obtain a black belt and that refuse to hand them out to kids. They are out there, but you have to search.